New Forest Cycling

MissClick, myself and a couple of friends hired some bikes in the New Forset the other day. I had been concerned that we'd be given some decrepit old things that could well ruin the day. However, I needn't have worried. In fact, th eopposite became likely- with brand spanking, two day old, bikes may not have been set up right and we'd struggle our way round the route. That was not to be either. The Beaulieu 'branch' of Country Lanes had provided us with some fantastic Trek mountain bikes for a near pitance.

The guy holding the fort was very hospitable and route maps were provided. Being early in the season they'd not had chance to learn that a pub which had been used as a reference point had become a residential property making it difficult to spot. This caused a few moments of finger pointing in Brockenhurst but it was a great day out. A bit of forest, heath and road covered our 20 or so miles which was a comfortable distance for all of us (even including an clandestine pub stop).

Thanks Country Lanes.

Tags: New Forest, Beaulieu, cycling, hire, mountain bikes, Brockenhurst, Hampshire

Being more effective without the voodoo science

I've recently started working with some of the most successful and effective professionals I've ever met. What makes them so? Clearly it is a whole raft of things, in their case being pretty smart and academically high achievers definitely helped. Before you throw up your hands and say "its too late for me" and "what about us el-thickos?", read on.

I've noticed that they all manage their personal space incredibly efficiently. On further probing, several of them swear by a methodology called "Getting Things Done". So, I bought the book by David Allen. I've linked to the US Amazon site- the UK version is in the ad on the left. I've not read it yet so expect further postings as to whether it helps me, but basically I don't think I'm underselling the methodology to say it boils down how you manage your in tray.

There's a decent review by the FT but, unfortunately, if you don't have a subscription then you can only read the first part, but do so anyway. I'd cut and paste the article here but I don't think my Google Ads revenue would remotely cover the legal fees if they were to chase me! Besides, I'd say that the FT sub is worth the money for most business peeps.

Tags: work, personal development, productivity, effective, professional, Getting Things Done, book, review, David Allen, Amazon

A Walk and a Pint

ClickRich has foolishy signed up to join some friends on a 40-mile-in-a-day walking lark. The 40 miles is a challenge. The speed that these friends will do it at will be a challenge. With less than 2 weeks to go, a training regime is something of a challenge too so I decided on Saturday to walk as fast as I could from ClickTowers in Bournemouth to the Bankes Arms in Studland village. There I would reward myself with a pint of their locally brewed* Isle of Purbeck Brewery before charging back as quickly as my hiking legs would carry me.

The objective, aside from a vain attempt to improve fitness, was to test my new clothes, check the boots still fit ok after 10 years, see how much I need to carry and work out what kind of pace starts to hurt... oh, and explore a corner of the world that I can see from our living room, but have not been to in 3 years here.

First things first. The pub is lovely. By it's character and panorama, it's something of a tourist spot, but there's plenty of room for everyone in the beer garden- even the domestic chore dodgers masquerading as mountain bikers (I know your game). I chose a pint of the Studland Bay Wrecked and I was not disappointed. I'd underestimated the amount of curvature of the coast round Studland- perhaps through the flattening effect of the distance as I view it from home- but I was surprised to be looking straight out to sea at Bournemouth. Strange.

Anyway, with the heat smashing down I headed for home and, excluding the wait for the Sandbanks ferry and sitting in the pub, I managed a round trip of 14 miles in 3 hours 40 minutes. To do three times that distance in less than 12 hours (which I suspect is the target of my friends) will be pushing me to my limits...

...and there'll be no beer.

*round the back of the pub

Tags: Studland, Bankes, pub, walking, hiking, ale, Sandbanks, Dorset, Bournemouth, cycling, mountain biking

Paula Radcliffe is a no show at the 2006 London Marathon

The organisers must have missed that memo if this sign is anything to go by.

Don't know what I'm talking about?

Tags: Flora, London, marathon, Paula Radcliffe, humour, humor

Image is everything

Cafe Shore is one of the coolest bar restaurants on the South Coast. Nestling on the peninsula of Sandbanks in Poole, it certainly does pretty much the best job of projecting an image...

...which is why I suspect that these cars were deliberately parked on show. Don't get me wrong, the local neighbourhood is more than able to produce clientele with Lamborghinis and Ferraris. It's just the way they are parked such that, for example, I couldn't squeeze my Clickmobile in between them. Hey, if you got it, flaunt it.

Tags: Sandbanks, lifestyle, Poole, Dorset, supercars, restaurant, eating out, Cafe Shore

London Marathon or Dance-a-thon?

Yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 26th Flora London Marathon. As I had some small chores to do for a few runners (well done Mark, Emily, Benoit and Colin) I bounced from Woolwich to Docklands to Wapping to Westminster. I also watched everything from the elite athletes to the club runners to the, often ambling, fancy dressers. Of the many thought provoking memories of the day (the myriad of good causes and unity of the people was uplifting) it struck me how many runners were listening to ipods (other devices are available). Outside of the elite I'd venture it was as much as 30 or 40% had their digital pals. I mused on how many might have compiled a specific soundtrack and what that accompaniment might be. I doubt anyone could manage 'Eye of the Tiger' back to back with 'Chariots of Fire' for 440 minutes, so I'd like to know what the top ten tunes were. Perhaps many opted for 'in the mix' style dance compilations or entire orchestral suites. Was anyone even usefully filling the time learning Spanish!
For some, I suppose music might be a practical technique of keeping pace. For others who have trained through the darkest evenings of the year with their digital motivators there might be an almost Pavlovian need in order for their legs to move.
Despite the electronics industry's best attempts to alienate me through the use of earpieces that won't stay in my ears on a train, let alone whilst jogging, I decided that a music player would be a must if I were to get through the training. I would build up to some carefully chosen beats which, on the big day, would subtly quicken and slow according to the pace best suited to me and the course. All I need to do is check that if I go the distance, then so do the batteries!

The censors must be having giddy fits

Now I'm no prude, so don't take this as a complaint, but I was very surprised to be tuning my radio in West London and find a station broadcasting very adult humour. I enjoyed it. I'm not sure of the comedian but it was of that stand up genre where you'd have thought that a failure to use an expletive every few seconds was likely to result in electric shocks being administered to a loved one. Bear in mind that I'd tuned away from BBC Radio4 to find alternatives to their Sunday morning church service and you can see the contrast served up by the bombardment of 'effing' and the need to describe everyone in terms of their relations with their mother. But it was very funny. So, if you're over 18 then try tuning to Touch'94 FM. If you're not, then don't.

Studland Naturist Beach

I was just wondering. Was the sign in this picture intended as a warning or a promise?

Tags: Studland, beach, humour, humor, naturist, Poole, Dorset

I can't believe it's not leather

Now, it's probably not my place to say, but in the neverending search for a better handbag, and as a concession to MissClick I'm going to make this post under the pretense of materials science. We (well, MissClick with me standing the obligatory 5 yards behind) were looking at handbags whilst shopping recently and saw some amazing leather bags by Matt and Nat. Well, it turns out that they aren't leather at all. Their website makes a big deal of it, but we were none the wiser in the shop. Are they missing a trick?

Tags: creative, handbag, fashion, designer, vegan, Matt & Nat, humour

Yahoo! Answers Beta

This looks like some new service from Yahoo where they broker questions and answers. In truth, their email about it was inconclusive. I think Yahoo should be asking their own service to answer "why did my mass mail out manage to be sent with a spelling mistake and code failure?". That's right, what I think was meant to say "A great new way to answer questions", instead said "A great new way to and questions". Where there were probably meant to be typical questions, there were just dots.

Now, I'm guilty of many an email faux pas so it's just reassuring to see that the mighty email service provider can get it so wrong too.

Tags: technology, internet, email, Yahoo

Calling all Blogging Widows

MissClick is setting up a support group whose first meeting will convene for Gin and Tonics on, well, any evening really.

Tags: technology, internet, blogging, humour, humor

The Future of Office Collaboration

Watch the video of this Microsoft guy enthusing about the future of real time office collaboration. Their Communicator product is out now for the enterprise and I'm looking forward to 'presence' features pushing my own productivity through the roof, let alone what it will do for places like hospitals. I get so frustrated by missed calls, leaving a message for someone as they're ringing you back etc etc.

Tags: technology, office, IT, collaboration, Microsoft, productivity, mobile, healthcare

If Carlsberg did Weigh & Save

I remember as a boy being dragged round shops called things like "Weigh & Save" where my parents would buy foodstuffs, typically at the staple end of the spectrum, at apparently bulk knock down prices. It's not a particularly fond memory and I've often wondered what if, just like their famed adverts, Carlsberg were to do Weigh & Save?

Well, I need wonder no more. I'm pretty sure it would be like VomFass. This franchise, which admittedly has a ropey look and feel on its corporate site (from which I pilfered the image in this article), has a UK site that seems to have been licked into something a little more sophisticated.

I stumbled across their shop in Stratford where I could buy wine, liqueurs, spirits and olive oil by the 100ml. There are tasteful racks of the stuff (using barrels and massive glass containers as appropriate etc) and you just choose your bottle and go for it.

Weigh & Save can keep it's oats by the shovel.

Tags: retail, franchise, spirits, liqueur, olive oil

Upcomm launch Upcode

A month and a half ago I reported on some great new technologies spinning out of HP labs in Bristol-
QR codes and the Glass software. Well, it seems that the team at Upcomm were already well on the case. They have taken a very similar application (I'm not sure if it is an HP derivative or home grown), branded it and taken it to market. I saw one of their so called 'Upcodes' on an hardcopy advert for Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. In the corner was the code itself with a neatly branded surround and a URL for more info.

The Upcomm website doesn't carry much information beyond what the casual consumer needs to know, but it looks like this may be a company from Finland. Well, they should know about mobile phones. I suppose the trust in the technology comes from the association with the advertiser rather than the technologist, but I'm nosey.

I hope to see these logos proliferate over the coming year.

However, the only problem was that my first sighting of this application was on an advert above the seats on the tube. So, I wasn't able to try it. Possibly the only place amongst the ten million population of London where I have no phone reception. When will the London Underground sort that out? The HK tube is rammed with mobile telephony infrastructure.

Tags: technology, Internet, mobile, Upcomm, Upcode

ClickTowers receives DAB

I'm pleased to report that this morning's piercing alarm call was replaced by the soothing tones of digital radio. As an early birthday present to MissClick, I selflessly invested in a Tivoli DAB radio. Early results are promising- although I thought I'd better let the birthday girl do most of the playing. However, the sound is natural and warm and, after a head to head test in the shop against the top end Pure, was in a league of it's own. The sound more befits a much larger platform.

This is in no small part due to the founders of Tivoli who came together with huge hifi design credentials. Between them they've set up two of the world's most respected hifi makers- Acoustic Research and Cambridge Audio (who later came together to create Arcam).

There's one thing worth pointing out that wasn't reported on any of the websites or in the mags I read whilst researching DAB radios. There are two alarms so MissClick and I can be woken at different times. It might sound trivial, but it was an important feature, the lack of which could have seen us compromise on sound quality in order to purchase a radio with it. No such worries in the end though. Tivoli marketers can have that one on me.

Tags: technology, radio, DAB, digital, Tivoli

Train ticket mix up

A piece of advice for those rushing through Paddington station is to be careful over your ticket selection in the self service machines. As I came out of the tube there was just a few minutes until my train was leaving. I'd been lucky enough to spot the platform the train was leaving from, but this was the mad Easter rush on Thursday evening rush hour- a crammed Central Line had already seen me running up to an hour late.

So I reached the front of the queue for the self-serve machine. My first problem was, and it could have been my spelling, but I couldn't find Moreton-in-Marsh. With the clock ticking I had little choice but to select the train's ultimate destination, Hereford. It'll cost, I thought, but I have to catch THAT train.

Next up, I needed to select my ticket type. I only wanted one way, but the tickets on screen were all wrong wrong wrong. First class this, first class that. What do they call cattle class these days? 2nd class? Can't see it. Then I see First Cheap Day Return. That'll do. I don't need a return but I hear that singles aren't much cheaper. The "first" must refer to the train company, First Great Western, as it is followed by the word "cheap" and is the only ticket not to have the word first followed by "class".

So in the flash of a PIN, I'm sprinting for the train and make it just for when the doors close. Luckily, I also find a seat ahead of the stragglers before me without resorting to strong arm tactics.

An hour later as we're swooshing through Oxfordshire I'm starting to wish the train had more leg room and that the screaming baby would pipe down. The conductor passes through and on checking my ticket simply looks at me, looks at the ticket, and in her loudest voice points out that first class is at the back of the train.

That's right. I'd managed to spend the best part of £100 when less than half of that would have sufficed. Additionally, I'd not even taken advantage of the services. Still, I sat through the last 5 minutes of my journey in the plush, stretch your legs out, reclined armchair surroundings of first class. Not without funny looks from passengers who no doubt thought I was a fare dodger- having taken my seat after the inspector had passed through.

In a moment of charity, I tried to find a London bound passenger at Moreton-in-Marsh to take my return leg first class ticket, but alas there was no one to be found. Unlucky, I could have salvaged some good from the ridiculous mistake I'd made.

Up there in my all-time-wasting-money-stories with peeling the leaves off a cauliflower at Uni until, with the leaves in the bin and only a morsel of green left, I realised it was a cabbage.

Tags: humour, Moreton-in-Marsh, train, First Class, Paddington, First Great Western

Shakespeare in Stratford

One thing you can't accuse Stratford-upon-Avon of doing is missing the opportunity to take advantage of its connections with Shakespeare... But I had to laugh when I saw the local pub landlords joining in by calling their Pub Watch scheme "Bard Watch". Very drole.

Tags: humour, Stratford

Cabbie Endorsement of Toyota Prius

Taxi drivers' choices of car in the UK can often be something of an urban joke- remember the Nissan Bluebird? But there is a serious side to this. Cabbies are only going to choose cars that are cheap to run and reliable so for them to choose your car, as a motor manufacturer, should be taken as quite an endorsement. In particular, if your car is a cutting edge hybrid, it is a specific challenge to gain acceptance in the marketplace.

Now the Toyota Prius seems to be selling fairly well, but the other night I was picked up by a cabbie who was two days into his ownership of a Prius. He's a little nervous as to how the decision will play out, with 100,000 miles anticipated over the next two years, but so far he's been laughing all the way to the bank from the petrol forecourt. If you are in the environs of Alcester anytime soon, check in on Merv and see how he's getting on. Nice guy to boot.

Tags: technology, Alcester, automotive, hybrid

Which Way To Alcester?

Alcester here we go! Now we just need to turn left, no right, no left.

Tags: humour, Alcester

Ministry KPIs

I was listening to an interview with a Salvation Army member last night. Far from the dour image, he was quite funny. In answering a question on how many 'converts' he would expect to make from a particular event, he replied "Over about 3 years Jesus Christ himself only managed to recruit 12 followers- and one of those was a bit ropey". Brilliant.